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Around 80 people gathered at Newcastle University for the inaugural Active Transport conference "Active Transport: The Richmond Vale Rail Trail Conference". This conference, run by The Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment, was generously supported by the Donaldson Conservation Trust, as well as a number of other organisations, including Hunter Innovation and Science Hub, National Science Week, Inspiring Australia and the NSW Government.

Pathways to Sustainability: Local Initiatives for Cities and Towns (1997 Conference)

​With 2017 being the International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development, the first session was aptly named "Pathways to Sustainable Tourism".

This commenced by looking back at the international conference "Pathways to Sustainability: Local Initiatives for Cities and Towns" hosted in Newcastle in 1997, supporting the UN action plan on sustainable development Agenda 21 that was agreed at the Rio Earth Summit. The Newcastle Declaration was endorsed at the 1997 conference, declaring that "There is growing evidence, however, that the future of all life on Earth is still in peril. There is an urgent need to accelerate and assist action at all levels, particularly locally, if the global sustainable development objectives of Agenda 21 are to be realised".

We heard about the Wonnarua Nations Pathways To Sustainability, looking at their history and development, including culture and heritage, economic development, sustainability and active transport initiatives, within the context of their "Australian Healthy Communities Model".

The conference was underpinned by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we discovered that these goals can become our guide for sustainable tourism development, not as a bolt-on but as a way of thinking.

Rounding out the first session, in understanding the tourist as an end user, we saw that alternatives need to be developed to the current male-centric paradigm of tourism destination development.

Meryl Swanson MP, Member for Paterson, Opening the Conference

Q&A

Fortified with coffee and into the first session of the day!

No shortage of banners up the front as we listen about the UN SDGs

Session 2 - Active Transport - Smart and Healthy, focused on the benefits and local initiatives on Active Transport.

We looked at the prevalence of obesity in different countries and how that is inversely proportional to the level of active transport in those countries. The health and other benefits of active transport were expounded and what we could do to make Newcastle the perfect active travel city.For example, UK studies found that commuting by bicycle or walking reduced mortality by 30-40%.Using the Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT), you can quantify the benefits of active transport. Applied to the proposed CycleSafe Network (CSN), through reduced health costs, the CSN would have a payback period of only 18 months! This is also expected to bring to the region more than twice the return on investment from the Hunter Expressway.

In Newcastle and Lake Mac 90 km of cycleways currently exist. CSN would expand this by an additional 140 km. The CSN aligns with current cycling strategies of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils and would integrate with public transport increasing its use. The CSN is expected to reduce congestion, create Jobs, tackle childhood obesity and keep the environment clean.

The session was completed by bringing us up to date with the revitalisation plans for Newcastle, including an inner city cycleway strategy and the Local and Neighbourhood Centres Program.

The CycleSafe Network

Following a quick lunch, the next session, entitled "Rail Trails and Sustainable Living", commenced by looking at the history of the Fernleigh Track and then the future aspirations of Lake Macquarie council in the area of active transport. The focus of the conference then turned to rail trails.

There are ​100 rail trails in Australia, but only 5 in NSW. Many rail trails are in regional and rural Australia and are generally built along publicly owned disused railway corridors. Rail trails provide safe, flat routes away from dangerous roads and are for "non-motorised" users such as cyclists, walkers, runners, and sometimes horse riders. They provide access into into the countryside for people of all abilities but often have some urban component with some active transport opportunities.

We learnt about recent successes and learnings from Victorian rail trails and the grass roots actions needed to get a trail underway.

Chance for a spot of networking and a quick sandwich

Lunch!

Prof Tim Roberts and Meryl Swanson MP catching up at the break

Ant Parker giving us the low-down on how to make your Rail Trail a success.

The final session of the day focused on the Richmond Vale Rail Trail (RVRT). This commenced with an interesting run through the past history of the Richmond Vale line. We then learnt about the ecology of the Sugarloaf area, including the Atlas of Living Australia, endemic species and how species can be used to highlight geographical boundaries. Closing the day, we learnt latest information from the design and environmental approvals for the RVRT.

​Immediately following "Active Transport: The Richmond Vale Rail Trail Conference", the Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment launched their latest book “Towards the Richmond Vale Rail Trail”. The book was commissioned by the Donaldson Conservation Trust and looks forward to a successful transition of this disused rail line, into a usable corridor for active transport, education, conservation and tourism.

The Richmond Vale Rail Trail will become one of the Hunter Valley’s iconic trails linking Newcastle to the vineyards, and bringing access along the way to a wide variety of ecosystems, from wetlands to Red Gum forests, and an abundance of bird life.

Prof Tim Roberts launching the book.

Approximately 80 people attended the book launch at the University of Newcastle's Callaghan Campus. The evening was opened by the Director of the Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment Tim Roberts. Representing the Donaldson Conservation Trust were Tony Sutherland and Terry Lewin. Support for the launch was from Cr Declan Clausen, Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle and Sonia Hornery, Member for Wallsend.

The book was well received, with comments such as it was a lovely book and they were happy with the end result. The event was lively with lots of discussion of the future rail trail and active transport corridor.

If you didn't get your book on the night, books will be available for sale shortly at the UoN Online Shop. We will let you know through enviroBYTES when this has been set up.

As part of the Hunter STEM Festival, the Hunter Regional F1inSchools final was held at The Forum at University of Newcastle. F1inSchools™ is the Worlds Largest Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Competition.

For the competition, students design, test and make miniature F1™ cars capable of speeds up to 80km/h.

F1inSchools™ is a holistic action learning program which focuses on developing long term employability skills. Students learn leadership, team building, project management, business planning, public speaking, marketing, collaboration, writing and presentation skills. The competition is open to all Secondary Students.

The competition was supported by Regional Development Australia Hunter's ME Program, Re-engineering Australia Foundation and The University of Newcastle.

Prof Tim Roberts from the Tom Farrell Institute was a judge at the competition again this year and said it was a "really great event".

​Engagement activities like the F1inSchools™ program have been proven to have a lasting impact on student engagement in STEM and should lead to more young people entering into the STEM professions.

Dr Stephen Beatty from Murdoch University WA with an overgrown goldfish found in the Vasse River in Busselton. Source, Associate Professor David Morgan, Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research, Murdoch University

Sadly, in the Hunter, humans are not caring for their pets and are straining volunteer animal organisations trying to capture and rehome them. Ratepayers are funding council shelters, or RSPCA facilities, for their lost or abandoned pets. These shelters are now at capacity. The RSPCA website reported that during 2015-16 it received a staggering 137,329 animals, 45,256 Dogs, 55,570 Cats, and 7,262 Mice, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Birds, Fish, and Ferrets. This was an increase of 2.92% animals from the 133,495 in 2014-15. Shelters are a cruel way to despatch animals, but it is even crueller to release them to destroy native populations in the bush or waterways. This demands biosecurity measures that are costly, but critical because pests threaten agribusiness, fresh food, and drinking water. Rabbits create unstable and denuded landscapes and provide fast fuel for feral or domestic Cats, Dogs, and Foxes at the apex of the food chain, along with threatened native mammals, birds, and reptiles. Goldfish, Pearl Cichlid, and other aquarium species infest waterways to destroy native populations by predation, poisoning, pollution, and decay. Pests help spread exotic fungal, bacterial and virus infections to native species. The rate of extinction is 100 to 1,000 times faster than during pre-industrial times but our escaped feral pets are thriving. Poisoned baits of 1080 and Pindone, or viruses, are brutal but effective control methods over large areas. “Track, Neuter, and Release” TNR methods are not so effective. The solution for feral animal pests may lay with their natural predators, Aboriginal traditional hunting, or professional culling by firearm. We are still failing at the simple task of controlling our beloved pets to stop them slowly destabilising ecosystems, accelerating Climate Change impacts, and contributing to the potential collapse of our natural environment. To help track and report feral animals, use the smartphone app Feral Scanhttps://www.feralscan.org.au/​​Originally published in Newcastle Herald on September 4 as "Flood of feral pets devastating ecosystems"